By: Yusuf M Hasan
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – At a House of Representatives session with a quorum of 70 the incoming National Election Commission-NEC received unanimous approval.
Chaired by Speaker Abdirahman Irro who did not vote 69 Members of parliament gave approval to all the seven members of the Somaliland national Elections Commission.
The incoming NEC which shall be in office for a term of five years has the immediate mandate of organizing and supervising presidential and parliamentary elections slated for mid 2015.
The seven commissioners are pooled from representatives appointed by the presentiment -3, Guurti -2 and one each from the opposition political parties of UCID and Wadani.
Speaking on behalf of NEC upon approval was Commissioner Saeed Muse who thanked parliament’s House of Representatives while pledging to undertake duties with diligence and transparency.
“Though we are charged with a heavy national duty as pertains to the conduct of free and fair elections in Somaliland we pledge to perform diligently” said commissioner S Muse.
Somaliland’s only woman election Commissioner Kaltun Hasan Abdi speaking outside parliament building also committed to over per performance in her new national duties despite the huge gender imbalance in NEC
The New commissioners have a daunting task as they are expected to revive citizen’s faith in the body whose image is mired in dirty following the suspect conduct of the 2012 local council pools by the outgoing team that saw deaths and injuries from elections related riots.
The Incoming NEC Commissioners and whose first duty shall be to elect a chairperson and deputy were appointed as follows
1. Presidential Appointees
I. Mohamed Jama Mohamed
II. Mahmud Jama Wa’ayes and
III. Ms Kaltun Sheikh Hasan Abdi
2. Guurti Appointees
Saeed Ali Muse
Abdulqadir Imaan Warsame
3. Opposition Parties Appointees
Abdirahman Osman Aden ‘Sagal’ – Wadani Party and
Abdifatah Ibrahim Hasan –UCID Party
